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Questions to Ask a Contractor Before Hiring, Orlando FL

Updated 2026-09-03 · Sources verified 2026-07-20

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Every question worth asking a contractor has a checkable answer, and the license comes first search the name or number yourself at the DBPR license lookup (myfloridalicense.com). Permit in Orange County: the permit is the contractor's job. On a contracted job, the CONTRACTOR pulls the permit under their own license. The full answer and its source are below, with the code requirements and mistakes that trip up Orlando homeowners.

Key facts before you start

Every question worth asking a contractor has a checkable answer, and the license comes first — search the name or number yourself at the DBPR license lookup (myfloridalicense.com); never accept a photo of a card. FS 489.128 gives this teeth: a contract "by an unlicensed contractor shall be unenforceable in law or in equity by the unlicensed contractor," so an unlicensed operator cannot sue you to collect. Know the scope limit too, and know it precisely: the "casual, minor, or inconsequential" handyman allowance under $2,500 (FS 489.103(9)) is an exemption from PART I only — it does NOT reach electrical or alarm work, which is licensed separately under Part II, whose exemption list (FS 489.503) has no minor-work dollar threshold at all. The allowance also dies if the job is "a part of a larger or major operation" or split "for the purpose of evading this part," or if the person advertises as a contractor.
Ask what deposit they want, because Florida attaches a clock to the answer. Under FS 489.126(2)(a), a contractor taking "as initial payment, money totaling more than 10 percent of the contract price" must "apply for permits necessary to do work within 30 days after the date payment is made" and "start the work within 90 days after the date all necessary permits for work, if any, are issued." A large deposit is not automatically a red flag — a large deposit with no permit application within 30 days is a statutory violation, not just slow service.
Ask WHO pulls the permit, and do not trade one away for speed. The right answer is the contractor, under their license — a pro asking YOU to pull an owner-builder permit for their work is shifting liability onto you, because that exemption (FS 489.503(6)(a)) is written for an owner "supervising, and doing the work" on their own home. Ask about the paperwork threshold too: in Orange County, "if value of work exceeds $5000, a Notice of Commencement is required" — a contractor who has never heard of an NOC is telling you something. And "the permit will take months" is now checkable: under FS 553.792, for an EXISTING single-family dwelling with work under $15,000, an applicant using a local government plans reviewer must get a structural, accessory-structure, alarm, electrical, gas, irrigation, landscaping, mechanical, plumbing, or roofing permit "within 5 business days after receiving a complete and sufficient application," and a local government that misses it "must reduce the building permit fee by 10 percent for each business day that it fails to meet the deadline" (subject to written extensions, applicant-caused delay, and force majeure).
Florida's under-$7,500 permit waiver (HB 803, signed 2026-05-06, effective 2026-07-01, now FS 553.79(1)(g)) is real but narrower than contractors quote it. It excludes "any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or gas work," excludes any property in a flood hazard area, and bars dividing a project "for the purpose of evading" the threshold. Two parts almost everyone misses: it is NOT automatic — the owner or contractor "must submit a written request for exemption to the local enforcement agency with a copy of the contract or other documentation demonstrating the nature and the value of the work" — and once waived, "a local government has no legal duty to the owner, contractor, or successors or assigns thereof," i.e. no inspection safety net, and that follows the house to resale. Note the FBC Chapter 1 rule text catches up later (Rule 61G20-1.001 effective 2026-11-30); the statute governs now.
Ask for proof of insurance — liability AND workers' compensation, since a crew member hurt on your property without comp becomes your problem fast — and never let the company that TELLS you there is a problem also SELL you the fix. On two trades Florida flatly prohibits that pairing: FS 468.8419(1)(d)/(2)(d) bar a mold assessor from remediating a structure their company assessed "within the last 12 months" and vice versa, and (1)(f)/(2)(f) ban referral compensation both directions. Termite and wood-rot inspection carries the same conflict rule — neither company nor inspector may "have any financial interest in the property inspected" — and a WDO-report company must carry errors-and-omissions coverage of "$500,000 aggregate and $250,000 per occurrence" or show net worth over $500,000.
After a storm a different law applies, and the friendly free roof inspection is where it bites. FS 489.147 makes it illegal for a contractor to offer "a rebate, gift, gift card, cash, coupon, waiver of any insurance deductible, or any other thing of value" in exchange for inspecting your roof or filing a claim, and they may not interpret your policy or adjust the claim unless separately licensed as a public adjuster. Two DIFFERENT cancellation windows exist: if the contract omits the required notice you "may void the contract within 10 days after executing it" (subsec. 5); and for a contract signed within 180 days of a declared emergency in the declared area you may cancel "within 10 days after the execution of the contract or by the official start date, whichever comes first" (subsec. 6(a)) — that second one can expire early if work starts, and the cancellation must go "by certified mail, return receipt requested" (subsec. 6(c)).

The permit answer

The permit is the contractor's job. On a contracted job, the CONTRACTOR pulls the permit under their own license — a pro asking you to pull an owner-builder permit for their work is shifting liability onto you, because the owner-builder exemption is written for an owner doing and supervising their own work. The work needs its permit either way; who files it is the tell.
Source: https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/489.503

Orange County and the City of Orlando run separate permit offices with separate portals — and your mailing address alone doesn't tell you which one covers your home. Check which permit office covers your address →

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit for hiring a contractor in Orange County, FL?

The permit is the contractor's job. On a contracted job, the CONTRACTOR pulls the permit under their own license — a pro asking you to pull an owner-builder permit for their work is shifting liability onto you, because the owner-builder exemption is written for an owner doing and supervising their own work. The work needs its permit either way; who files it is the tell.

Are there specific building-code requirements for hiring a contractor?

Florida's under-$7,500 permit waiver (HB 803, signed 2026-05-06, effective 2026-07-01, now FS 553.79(1)(g)) is real but narrower than contractors quote it.

Looking for a different repair?

Sources

This guide is general informational content, not professional or legal advice. Codes and county rules change — confirm permit requirements with your local building department, and use a licensed professional for electrical, gas, structural, or main-line plumbing work.

Beyond DIY

For remodel-scale work — kitchens, baths, additions — the realistic next step is a licensed contractor who quotes from a written scope.

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